


Falling Stars

by ACommonAnomaly (RowanBaines)



Series: As Little Might Be Thought [2]
Category: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Family, First Age, Foreshadowing (of course), Fëanorian heirlooms, Gift Giving, Nosy children, Snooping, i'm proud of myself, only a little angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-08
Updated: 2018-06-08
Packaged: 2019-05-19 19:25:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14879747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RowanBaines/pseuds/ACommonAnomaly
Summary: Maglor has been open with Elrond and Elros from the start, but when the twins decide to snoop through his belongings while he’s busy elsewhere, they find something Maglor has hidden away.





	Falling Stars

The door to the room that Maglor and Maedhros shared was ajar, and so Elros knew he would not find them within.

Of course, he knew already that Maedhros was with the patrol that watched over the small settlement and would not return before late the next day. And Maglor and a few others were in the garden discussing tactics to capture or deter whatever animal was raiding their crops.

Though he had been tempted to stay hidden among the corn, giggling at the colorful language being used by Maglor’s men to describe the culprit, he had been seized by a sudden impulse and pulled Elrond away.

Elros licked his lips as he gazed at the door in front of him, and he only smiled when Elrond whispered, “Elros, we _shouldn’t_.”

Despite his quiet protest, Elrond followed him into the room, leaving the door open just a crack as it had been before they entered.

A tremble of excitement went through Elros as he looked around. It wasn’t that Elros had never been in the room. He had briefly entered it to retrieve one of the brothers when the other needed him for something, or when he or Elrond needed something or had a question. The thing was that Maedhros and Maglor were not often in their room and so he saw it rarely. He was curious about the glimpses into their lives and characters it might hold.

Despite his curiosity, he gave Maedhros’ bed a wide berth, walking along the edge of the room to the dresser near Maglor’s bed. Maedhros didn’t seems to have much in the way of personal possessions anyway, the notable exception being the gold ribbon that Maglor braided into his brother’s hair for him.

Elros knew it held some special significance to Maedhros because his hand often absently strayed to the braid twined with gold, and Elros had once come upon Maedhros sitting hunched over with the ribbon clutched tightly in his fist. When Elrond had finally asked Maglor where the ribbon came from, he had said only that it belonged to someone dear to Maedhros, who was now lost.

Although Elros had grown much closer with Maedhros since the day he had rescued the twins from a band of orcs, Elros had not quite worked up the nerve to ask Maedhros about the matter himself. It seemed the kind of topic that might cause Maedhros to retreat emotionally and become remote as he seemed to do when something upset him.

Though luckily such occasions were rare.

Elros would have to try to catch him in the right mood one day and ask him, and then maybe Maedhros would share with him.

Elros glanced at Maedhros’ bed as he passed it, noting that it didn’t look as if it had ever been slept in. Maglor’s bed was the opposite, a worn quilt bunched up where he had kicked it to the foot of the bed, and a lumpy pillow still showing the indent of its owner’s head.

Elrond hurried around Elros to the chest pushed up against the wall across from Maglor’s bed, and he dropped down next to it.

“Elrond, _we shouldn’t_ ,” Elros said, mocking Elrond’s earlier words. 

Elrond made a face at him and opened the chest, scooting over a little so that Elros could sit down beside him.

As he had expected, there was not much in the chest.

Since they had been driven from their home on the hill, the Fëanorions seemed less inclined to accumulate personal possessions. Maglor had only recently obtained a harp again, which Maedhros brought back with him after going out with a scouting party. Maedhros had said he traded for it, and at first Elros had wondered at that, until he noticed that the ornate dagger with the jeweled star on it that Maedhros had always worn on his hip was gone.

The harp sat now beside Maglor’s bed, the rest of his meager belongings packed away in this small chest.

Elrond shifted aside the heavy cloak Maglor wore in the winter and lifted a carved wooden box out of the chest. Elros recognized it as the one Elrond had made under Atheben’s instruction and then gifted to Maglor. Elros had made one, too, but he had broken his in frustration when the lid would not sit evenly on top of the box. He regretted that now, seeing that Maglor had made it a point to carry Elrond’s box with him even when he had left nearly everything else behind.

When Elrond opened the box, Elros brightened, because he saw nestled inside the bracelet he had woven for Maglor last summer. It had been too small for Maglor’s wrist, so he had never worn it, but Elros felt his heart swell at the sight of it.

When Elrond stopped to examine the bracelet, Elros reached into the box and pulled out the small leather pouch that had been pressed into the bottom of it. He glanced in the chest again to make sure there was nothing significant there for Elrond to discover before him, but seeing only sheet music and a few other odds and ends, he returned his attention to the pouch.

He could feel something tiny and hard through the supple leather, but it felt empty otherwise.

“What is it?” Elrond asked, setting down the carved box and reaching out a hand.

“It feels nearly empty,” Elros said. He pulled the pouch open and turned it upside down over his brother’s waiting hand.

Elrond gasped when a small silver pendant fell into his open palm, and then another.

Elros dropped the pouch and snatched up one of the pendants, eager to examine it more closely. Elros knew well the Star of Fëanor. His foster fathers etched it on their armor and worked it into the subtle detailing of their clothing, or at least they did when they bothered with embellishing their everyday wear. Elros had seen them both at times trace the design thoughtlessly with their fingers in sand or on fogged up windows, and even once in spilled salt on a table.

These pendants were far more intricate in design, the silver stars glittering when the light coming through the window hit them. Each had a tiny diamond at its center, and their delicate-looking chains gleamed with the same white shine as the pendants, almost weightless but no doubt strong.

“They’re so pretty!” Elrond exclaimed. “Here, help me put one on. I want to see how it looks on me.”

Elros almost said again that they _shouldn’t_ , this time believing it a little, but the pendants were so beautiful and he had never worn anything so fine. He was curious, and he wanted to see how it would look on him as well. He took the pendant when Elrond offered it, and once his brother had turned his back to him, he laid down the other necklace so that he could get the clasp open.

Once Elros had fastened the pendant around his brother’s neck, Elrond turned around again, smiling as he looked down at the star where it lay against his chest.

The star flashed with light as Elrond moved, and for a moment Elros was reminded of the necklace his mother had worn. It, too, had been beautiful, though the gaudy thing had always felt like a barrier between him and the one who wore it. Elros shook away an errant memory of his mother’s hand curling possessively around the jewel that burned like a star, and he was glad when Elrond did not seem to notice the brief turn of his mood.

And anyway, these were different from _that_ necklace. They did not radiate blinding light and fearsome power, and in fact the small star in his hand gave him a sense of loss and an emptiness that longed to be filled.

“Well?” Elrond sat up straighter, sticking his chest out and squaring his shoulders. “How do I look?”

The star hung a little low on his chest, but it drew the eye in a way that made Elros feel a little breathless. Elros kept his tone teasing to say, “You look like a Fëanorion. Now help me put mine on.”

Elrond snorted and clapped a hand over his mouth to stifle his laughter, but Elros felt a burst of alarm when Elrond’s eyes widened and his hand dropped, the smile sliding from his face.

“What are you two doing?” came a voice behind Elros.

Elros turned to see Maglor standing in the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest. Maglor’s eyes went to the chest, then to the carved box by Elrond’s foot, and finally to the pendant Elros held in his hand. His heart skipped a beat when Maglor’s expression went from surprised to stormy.

“What are you doing?” Maglor asked again, his voice sharp with an edge of something like panic. He reached Elros in two long strides and caught the silver chain, lifting the pendant Elros held out of his hand.

Out of the corner of his eye Elros could see Elrond fumbling with the clasp of the necklace he wore, and though he knew he should help his brother, he couldn’t take his eyes off Maglor.

Maglor sank to the floor, kneeling in front of the chest. His skin took on a sickly hue, as though the blood was draining out of him, his eyes riveted to the necklace. He ran his fingers over the chain and then curled his hand around the star, but the motion was tender, not possessive, and his eyes were heavy with feeling.

“Elros!” Elrond hissed, scooting closer to his brother.

Elros reluctantly turned away from Maglor, and despite his nerves, he fumbled only once as he unclasped the necklace. He would have been amused by his brother’s sigh of relief had he not been so torn. He was embarrassed to have been caught, but he also felt guilty that he had caused Maglor distress. He moved so that his knees were almost touching Maglor’s, and when Maglor looked up at him, Elros held out the other necklace.

“We were careful with them,” Elros said in the same kind of reassuring tone that Maglor often used with him when he was upset. After Maglor had taken the necklace, he added, “We’re sorry.”

Maglor blinked then, as if only just coming back to himself. He laid the pendants in his lap and then gently cupped Elros’ cheek in one hand, reaching the other out to Elrond.

“Please forgive me if I startled you,” he said, stroking Elrond’s hair once he moved closer. “It’s just that I haven’t actually looked at these since...well, it has been some time. I was not prepared to see them again.”

“Are they yours?” Elros asked. “Why are they packed away? They’re so pretty.”

Maglor took a deep breath, and it seemed to steady him because his brow smoothed as he said, “They belonged to my brothers. They were twins.”

“Twins,” Elrond said faintly.

Elros understood now, and he knew that Elrond did, as well. They were aware that Maglor and Maedhros had lost two of their brothers in the battle at the Havens of Sirion, and Boronel had later told them more about the red-haired twins, stories from their youth. Maglor had set aside his grief to focus his attention on Elrond and Elros, but Elros knew that he must keenly feel their loss.

Elros leaned into Elrond, and when his brother leaned back Elros knew he was thinking the same thing. He was glad that through everything he still had his brother.

Maglor let out a deep, slow breath and glanced up, looking each of them in the eyes in turn.

“If there is ever anything you wish to know about me, you only need ask. You don’t have to sneak into my room while I’m out,” he said gently, the color seeping back into his face.

Elros was glad to see the lines around Maglor’s eyes that meant he was smiling even when his mouth didn’t, but now his dismay at being caught increased. He did know that Maglor would answer any questions Elros or Elrond put to him, but Maglor had been busy and the day had seemed to him as if it would stretch on interminably.

It had just seemed more fun on this dull and dragging afternoon to be sneaky.

As if he knew what Elros was thinking, Maglor’s lips twitched, the lines around his eyes growing a little deeper.

“We really are sorry,” Elrond dutifully said, though his gaze had drifted to the necklaces.

Maglor lifted one of them, and after opening the clasp he held it toward Elros as though it were a peace offering. “Would you like to try one on, too? I’m afraid I came in before you got the chance.”

Elros didn’t know if he should accept the offer after seeing Maglor’s reaction earlier. But the star dangled in front of him, sparkling enticingly on its chain when Maglor lifted it a little higher, and Elros nodded his head eagerly. Once the necklace was around his neck, Elros found himself straightening as Elrond had, a strange pride blooming in him even though the pendant was not his. He pushed his chest out as he gazed down at it, only glancing up again when Maglor spoke.

“My father made them for the twins when they came of age. I don’t think they ever took them off. I wonder if maybe I shouldn’t have taken the necklaces after they...well...I didn’t have the heart to let them be lost.”

Elros didn’t know what to say to that, but Elrond judiciously filled the silence by saying, “They’re beautiful.”

For a few long moments Maglor said nothing, but Elros thought he could feel him thinking. Maglor’s gaze grew distant before finally settling on Elros, and then his expression sharpened into consideration.

Maglor lightly touched the pendant Elros wore. “My brothers are gone, all of them but Maedhros, and I do not know if I will ever see them again. It seems a shame for these to lie forgotten in an old chest.”

“You and Maedhros won’t ever wear them?” Elrond asked.

“No. My brother and I...” Maglor trailed off, shaking his head, and something dark flashed in his eyes for just a moment. “That is a conversation for later, I think. But no, we will not wear them.”

Elros suddenly felt afraid for Maglor and for Maedhros, but his fear was dispersed by excitement when Maglor said, “I would be honored if you and Elros would accept these pendants as a gift from me.”

Elrond gaped at Maglor in astonishment. “You mean, you want us to keep them?”

Elros added, “And we can wear them?”

“Every day?” his brother finished excitedly.

Maglor laughed, a joyous sound that made Elros feel as though he was soaring. Maglor only laughed like that around Elros and Elrond, and they were always pleased with themselves when the could provoke such mirth.

“Yes,” Maglor said, still smiling. “Since they will be yours, you would be able to wear them whenever you like.”

Elros looked Maglor over, and for a moment his excitement dimmed. Boronel had told them stories about Maglor when he lived in Valinor, and they had been amused when she described to them Maglor’s love of fashion. The image she painted of Maglor wearing rich fabrics and ruffled collars, fussing over the state of his hair, had made them laugh.

Now Elros felt somber looking at Maglor in his worn tunic and dusty trousers, his hair pulled back in messy braid. Maglor made sure that the twins always had well-fitting, clean clothing—usually beautifully embellished by those in the settlement who had a talent for embroidery—and he spent far more time fixing their hair than his own.

It seemed a shame to accept as a gift the only beautiful thing Maglor had left from his life before...before the oath and everything that happened after.

“Are you sure?” Elrond asked, echoing the thought that Elros had not voiced.

“If I could ask my brothers, I feel certain they would want you to have them. They wouldn’t want the necklaces lost, and I know you’ll take care of them.”

Again Elros felt a brief burst of fear, a looming foreboding that seemed to fall over the room like a shadow, but then it was gone and there was only Maglor, smiling as though he hadn’t a care in the world as he gazed on them.

“Come here. I’ll put yours on,” Maglor said, gesturing to Elrond.

Maglor sat back on his heels to look them over once both Elrond and Elros sat before him wearing the necklaces. He clasped his hands and pressed them against his mouth, his eyes growing misty as he took in the sight of them. Elros frowned, concerned, but Maglor lowered his hands and they saw that he was still smiling, though the smile had gone a little crooked.

“Perfect. You both look so handsome,” he said, his voice light. “I’m glad you found them. I’m glad they will not lie forgotten.”

“Thank you,” Elros said, wishing he had the words to better convey his gratitude.

Elrond nodded and said, “Yes, thank you.”

Maglor watched them for a few moments longer and then clapped his hands together. “Well! I hope the two of you don’t think you’re getting out of your studies because I was distracted today.”

Elros groaned, because he did not feel like sitting still today, but Elrond jumped to his feet with more enthusiasm than Elros thought appropriate.

As they left the room together, Maglor asked Elrond about their lunch, and if they had done anything other than snoop during their reprieve from their studies.

Elros let his hand drift to the pendant around his neck, tracing the star with his finger, and he wondered what kind of gift he could give Maglor in return. He looked up when Maglor laughed at something Elrond had said, glad to see the way his foster father’s face lit up with his happiness. 

He would think of a gift, eventually.

 

***

 

Elros and Elrond were sitting at the long table in the dining hall, picking at their breakfast, when Maedhros came in with Faeldir.

They looked dirty and weary, and Faeldir dropped with a sigh onto the bench in front of a plate of food Miluiel brought over when she saw them enter. Elros would have worried to see Maedhros back early, guessing a mishap with one of his people, but Maedhros would certainly have gone to find Maglor first if anything serious had happened.

Maedhros seemed to be considering whether he would sit down next to Faeldir, but then his gaze fell on Elrond and Elros. He clapped Faeldir on the shoulder, sending up a puff of dust, and then walked toward them.

Just as Maedhros reached them, Elros saw Maglor enter the hall. He always looked relieved whenever Maedhros returned, and Elros could understand why; he had seen for himself that these were dangerous times, and those who went out beyond their gates did not always return.

Maglor seemed intent on his brother, but Faeldir caught his arm and spoke to him with a troubled expression, keeping him there for the moment.

Maedhros laid a hand on Elrond’s back and smiled across the table at Elros.

Maedhros didn’t often smile in the bright way Maglor did. His lips barely moved, but it was as if his whole face subtly shifted, the scars over the right side of his face pulling a little tighter and his eyes almost imperceptibly squinting.

“I hope my brother kept up with your lessons while I was away,” Maedhros said, his eyes twinkling.

Maedhros favored a more structured learning environment. Elros would not be able to sway Maedhros from whatever topic he set for them as he sometimes could with Maglor. Not that he found the things he taught them dull, it was only that he liked flexibility and had a difficult time not chasing every impulse, wherever it led him. But unlike his brother, Maedhros could not be coaxed into a change of topic which might result in an entertaining digression that could stretch on into the evening.

“He did,” Elros said, deciding not to mention that Maglor had spent a good portion of the day before outdoors.

Maedhros nodded and his gaze drifted between Elrond and Elros. His eyes settled on Elros’ chest and then widened. Like with Maglor the day before, the color drained from his face, although he kept it carefully blank. Elros curled his fingers around the pendant once he realized that was what Maedhros was staring at, but Maedhros had already turned away.

Elros watched his retreating back, and his heart sank when Maedhros carelessly bumped into Maglor’s shoulder as though he couldn’t see him when he passed.

Maglor turned to give Elrond and Elros a reassuring look before he followed after his brother.

“Oh no,” Elrond said. He shook his head at Elros. “Maybe you should have worn it under you tunic, like I did.”

“I didn’t think...” Elros started defensively. Maglor had mentioned that he would talk to Maedhros about the gift he had given them so that he wouldn’t be surprised when he saw them. But Elros had not thought of that when Maedhros entered the hall, and had in fact forgotten that he was wearing the pendant.

Elrond’s brow furrowed as he looked toward the door the brothers had gone through.

Elros bit his lip and then asked, “Do you think he’s very upset?”

“He doesn’t get upset often,” Elrond said after moment. “I think Maglor will talk to him and it will be alright.”

Elros looked around the hall, but if anyone had seen anything, they did nothing to acknowledge it. He pushed himself up from the table and went around it to the window overlooking the inner courtyard. He heard Elrond come up behind him, but he kept his eyes on the window.

He could see Maedhros pacing tightly, gesturing with his hand whenever he turned back toward Maglor. His expression was feverish, but Maglor stood in stark contrast, all thoughtful stillness and pleading eyes.

Maglor said something that made Maedhros whirl on him, but Maglor caught his brother by the shoulders and held him still. Despite his benign expression, whatever Maglor said next must have hit Maedhros hard, for the taller brother sagged and his head drooped.

Elros wondered if he should go out to them, but then Maglor shifted his hands to the sides of his brother’s face and brought their foreheads together. Elros could see Maglor’s lips moving faintly, and after a few moments Maedhros closed his eyes.

Elrond let out a satisfied sound, and Elros turned to him.

“See, they’ll be alright.”

Elros looked out the window again just as Maedhros pressed a kiss to Maglor’s forehead and then stepped away, looking contrite.

He knew they argued sometimes, even though they tried to hide it, taking care not to raise their voices in the presence of the twins. Elros could always tell when they’d had a disagreement, because they moved stiffly around each other afterward, speaking to each other only in tense, clipped sentences.

It was always a relief when they made up, and Elros was glad when Maedhros finally turned to come back inside with his brother.

Elros and Elrond dropped into their seats just moments before the Maglor and Maedhros re-entered the hall.

Maglor gave them a nod before sitting down with Faeldir, looking more relaxed than he had earlier, but Maedhros came to stand next to them again. He seemed restless, visibly struggling for words, and Elros wondered if he would say anything about what had just happened.

Maedhros glanced over his shoulder at Maglor and then turned back to them, looking resolute.

“If the two of you are interested, I thought we might disrupt your schedule today,” Maedhros said, looking as if the suggestion pained him despite his apparent determination. “The day already grows warm, so perhaps you would enjoy a swim in the pond.”

“Yes!” Elros leapt up in his seat, nearly tumbling forward over the plate of food he had been neglecting.

“After you have finished eating, I mean,” Maedhros added, looking more at ease.

“Yes, of course,” Elrond said before shoving an over-large piece of fruit in his mouth.

He hadn’t felt particularly hungry that morning, but Elros ate now with gusto, beaming at Maedhros when he took a seat across from him.

“Good,” Maedhros said, though he seemed to be talking to himself.

If his gaze was a little distant while he watched them eat, it was also fond, so that he seemed at peace.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Beta read by the wonderful [Nixie Genesis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nixie_Genesis/pseuds/Nixie_Genesis)! Thank you! <3


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